Spain to grant legal status to half a million undocumented migrants
By Pau Mosquera, CNN
Madrid, Spain (CNN) — Spain has announced it will grant legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants, in a move that goes against a trend of anti-immigration rhetoric and policies in the United States and much of Europe.
The move, announced Tuesday, is aimed at reducing labor exploitation in Spain’s underground economy. The country’s central bank and the United Nations have previously said that Spain needs around 300,000 migrant workers a year to sustain its welfare state.
“Today is a historic day for our country,” Spain’s immigration minister Elma Saiz told a press conference. “We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, coexistence, and compatibility with economic growth and social cohesion.”
Saiz said the new measure was “necessary to respond to a reality that exists on our streets” and would benefit the country’s economy.
The presidency has said the measure will allow a “dignified” life for migrants.
Foreigners who arrived in the country before Dec. 31, 2025 and can prove they have been living in the country for at least five months will be granted legal residency of up to one year and work permits valid for any sector and throughout the country. They will need to prove they have no criminal record.
People will be able to apply from the beginning of April until June 30, 2026.
How many undocumented migrants are in Spain?
There are far more undocumented migrants in Spain than this new policy serves. Funcas, an analysis center linked to the banking association CECA, estimates there were 840,000 undocumented migrants in the country at the beginning of 2025.
Most – about 760,000 – are from Latin America, according to Funcas. Some 290,000 come from Colombia, nearly 110,000 from Peru and 90,000 from Honduras.
The number of undocumented migrants in Spain has grown eight-fold since 2017, according to Funcas.
Tuesday’s announcement builds upon a measure that took effect in May of last year, which aimed to simplify and expedite the legalization process. The Spanish government said that policy could allow 900,000 undocumented migrants to obtain legal status over the following three years.
A history of pathways to legal status
Spain has approved large-scale pathways to legal status for undocumented migrants on at least six other occasions since the 1980s.
Under the socialist government of Felipe González, in 1986, more than 38,000 people obtained legal status. Between 1991 and 1992, also under González’s presidency, legal residence was offered to more than 114,000 people.
Under José María Aznar, in the years 1996, 2000, and 2001, papers were granted to more than 524,000 people. The last large-scale granting of legal status took place almost 21 years ago, under the government of José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, which processed more than 576,000 applications.
The move from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government comes after US President Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of Europe’s “politically correct” immigration policies. At the UN General Assembly in September, Trump said Europe was in “serious trouble,” and “invaded by a force of illegal aliens.”
And just days ago at Davos, Trump said certain places in Europe had become “unrecognizable” and “not heading in the right direction.”
A number of European nations have taken hardline policies on immigration, like Italy’s controversial practice of sending asylum seekers rescued at sea to deportation centers. Spain has largely remained an outlier in Europe, seeing immigration as a way to boost the country’s economy.
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CNN’s Mauricio Torres and Hira Humayun contributed to this report.
